Phil Reisman: Pot's not a big deal, man, unless you voted against it

Mar. 15, 2013

Assembyman Steve Katz looks toward reporters March 15, 2013 at Yorktown Town Hall after he read a statement about being issued a ticket for marijuana possession and speeding. He declined to answer questions about the incident and his voting record opposed to medicinal marijuana. / Joe Larese/The Journal News

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Some things I wonder about. For instance, right now I’m wondering if Assemblyman Steve Katz ever bogarted a joint.

After smoking pot, does he get the munchies and devour an entire bag of potato chips? Does he get silly and laugh uncontrollably over “I Love Lucy” reruns? Does he get paranoid and clam up?

Perhaps he just zones out, man … and drifts into a blissfully mellow contemplation of the limitless Milky Way, if not something more quotidian, like the intricate pattern of the bathroom wallpaper.

When he’s stoned, does he see Greg Ball’s visage in the clouds?

You wouldn’t confuse Assemblyman Katz, 59, with either Cheech or Chong. But this much we know:

The Tea Party Republican from Yorktown was caught Thursday morning speeding just south of Albany on the New York State Thruway — and when he was pulled over the state trooper smelled the telltale odor of marijuana. Uh oh, busted!

Without protest, Katz handed over a small bag containing some stuff that looked very much like the so-called evil weed.

Katz was charged with driving 80 mph in a 65 mph zone and issued an appearance ticket for marijuana possession.

It’s not clear how much of the alleged pot was in the bag, but under state law, a first-offense possession of 25 grams or less is a civil citation that carries a $100 fine. A second offense is $200. After that, you’re getting into misdemeanor territory and the possibility of jail time.

According to NORML, a group that seeks to legalize marijuana use, some 25 million Americans have smoked pot in the last year.

The pot advocates say that alcohol and tobacco are far worse threats to the public health. Marijuana, they say, is nontoxic and cannot cause death due to overdose.

So on the surface, what happened to Katz hardly seems to be a dig deal.

A lot of people smoke pot.

Heck, if you didn’t know the guy you might even think he agreed with NORML. He should be on their “friendly legislators” list, if they have such a thing.

But Katz has a little problem that goes beyond the possibility of a 100-buck fine. It’s called A07347B.

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That’s the bill that calls for the legalization of marijuana for people with serious medical problems. Introduced by Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, a Democrat from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, it passed in the Assembly but languished in the Senate. Gottfried has introduced the bill 16 times and plans to reintroduce it this year.

In any event, Katz voted against it last year. Evidently, he did not think that marijuana should be prescribed to patients in pain.

But considering the bag of pot found in his car, you might be led to believe that he’s in favor of recreational use — that is, unless you get caught.

Well, Katz got caught.

And now in the court of public opinion he must face the additional charge of hypocrisy. It doesn’t help that he put out a statement only a week ago, decrying the “illegal drug culture and the abuse of narcotics.”

Marijuana use cuts across party lines. But a sizable part of Katz’s conservative base is probably disgusted with his alleged infraction. They might not understand that the state’s business is mostly a bore and that some guys can’t get through it without first lighting up a fatty on their way to the capital.

The shame for Katz is that he had been on a roll. Earlier this year, he received a great deal of attention as a staunch defender of the Second Amendment.

Along with a group of local gun owners, among them his former nemesis, state Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson, Katz appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News TV show in January to denounce The Journal News’ controversial use of an interactive map that gave the names and addresses of gun-permit holders.

It was quite a show. Katz, who bears a slight resemblance to the comic actor Eugene Levy, didn’t say anything — at least nothing that I recall.

A few days later, Hannity had another gun-themed show. This time he brought back Ball who “debated” state Sen. Mike Gianaris, a Democratic gun-control advocate from Queens.

At one point Hannity sarcastically suggested that Gianaris was on drugs.

Forgetting that Gianaris was a fellow senator, Ball delightedly chimed in, “He’s one of the few in the Assembly maybe not on drugs.”

Did Katz watch that show? If so, did he laugh uncontrollably at Ball’s comment?